The Cost of Camping vs. Other Disney Properties

MandLBee

Mouseketeer
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Hey, Fort Wilderness Folks! I just wanted to share our story and a little happiness I had today as I was buying a 13x13 shelter for $84 at a local Bargain store.

So, for the last two years, my husband has been unwell, part of that time on disability (which means a 40% income decrease), dealing with some post traumatic stress injuries and other ailments making it impossible for him to do his usual high stress IT work. About 9 months ago, I decided we needed to have some togetherness as a family that was fun and had nothing to do with the therapy and the doctors and illness. We are a really happy and close family of 7, but we are so tired from all these stressors! SO! I thought a Disney/Harry Potter vacation would be great! Until I started looking at how impossible it is to get SEVEN PEOPLE onto Disney property under $650/night. Insane!

My Disney planner friend and another friend with five kids mentioned THE FORT, and the rest is history. But I had almost no camping equipment (well, a stove, some tables, a tent for DH and me, some other stuff) or vacation gear at all. For so many years, before DH's healing, and with three family members with anxiety or autistic issues, vacation has been out of the question. Even short trips to see family have often ended early or been really difficult. Thank God, and some really good doctors, things are so much better. So I started, little by little, buying what we needed to camp at Fort Wilderness.

So far, we have bought everything either on Amazon or at our local overstock/returns Bargain Hunt. Or a couple things at Wal-Mart. It includes:
Two Coleman shelters and guylines
An Ozark Trail tent and stakes and guylines
A tarp and more stakes
4 sleeping bags
A queen cot and air mattress
6 camp chairs
7 Brita filter water bottles
5 sets Packing cubes
4 Fanny packs, a Spibelt, and 2 lanyards
2 hammocks

All told, so far, considering all costs, I've still spent $800 LESS than I would have spent on the cheapest possible resort on property. Plus, we can go anywhere we like and be comfortable now with all our fancy camping stuff :)

So excited to get in our big old conversion van and head to The Fort in November. Here's hoping our first family vacation will be a success!
 
That's a good status check, MandLBee.

You'll find that camping is a laid back way of vacationing so if you don't hyper schedule, it can be relaxing as well.

I think the one thing that get's overlooked is the food/meal costs. Even if breakfast is the only meal you do at the campsite, a camping breakfast of cereal or pancakes and bacon or scrambled eggs will save you some bling compared to eating the same meals in a resort food court. You can also pack lunches into the theme parks as long as there is no glass (except baby food jars) or booze. We did that (family of 5) and stashed it in a rented locker at each theme park.

November will come quickly.

Bama Ed
 
That's a good status check, MandLBee.

You'll find that camping is a laid back way of vacationing so if you don't hyper schedule, it can be relaxing as well.

I think the one thing that get's overlooked is the food/meal costs. Even if breakfast is the only meal you do at the campsite, a camping breakfast of cereal or pancakes and bacon or scrambled eggs will save you some bling compared to eating the same meals in a resort food court. You can also pack lunches into the theme parks as long as there is no glass (except baby food jars) or booze. We did that (family of 5) and stashed it in a rented locker at each theme park.

November will come quickly.

Bama Ed
Thanks, Bama Ed! We plan to only eat 1 meal out per day. For a big family (my 14 year old decided not to come, sadly), at Disney, that's between $75-$200! We are planning Boma breakfast, BOG lunch, And snacks at Epcot. Oh, and Trail's End maybe and Artist Point for our anniversary dinner (just two of us). That's it. I'm sure we will spend more than we intend to, but we have already planned our road and campground meals. We are pretty stoked!
 
I feel that the Fort has all the location of the Premium resorts, yet lets me be in nature and more in control of my schedule and activities. I love it. We have just become season pass holders and plan to return a few times a year instead of every 3 or 4 years.
 


I can't agree more, M&L.

I'm in a position now that I could probably afford a Moderate resort, but I'm inherently cheap. I do the math every trip comparing bringing the camper down (1000 mile, one way at 9 mpg) vs driving one of our cars at 25 mpg and staying in a Value or Moderate. The cost of gas and a Premium site at the Fort is very close to car gas and a Value, depending on the season. The tipping point for us purely on price is the food. If I'm at a Disney hotel, I have to buy Disney food all the time.

The other thing that is hard to put a price on, is the atmosphere at the Fort. I have stayed at CBR and SSR with friends. CBR felt cramped and SSR was huge and didn't feel personal. They were nice, but not the relaxed, open, easy going feel of the Fort.

I hate to admit it, being cheap, but even if a Value was cheaper after factoring in food, I'd probably pick the Fort anyway. Now, if the Poly, WL, GF or one of the other Deluxes was the same price... :-)

And there are also only 3 of us. If I had more than the 4/5 allowed in one room, then it's a a no brainer.

Glad you are getting things back together and a WDW trip is in the future.

j
 
Welcome to the Fort Family. Once you try the Fort, you will never go back. We are DVC members and when you ask the kids where they want to say, first priority is the beach club and then comes the Fort. We have also been in a tough situation. I had cancer a few years ago and when we decided that we needed a good break from reality, the kids wanted to come to Disney. Their only request...to stay at the Fort. So we packed up our gear and headed to the Fort for 2,5 weeks. I really wanted to stay at the Poly but I am glad we did the Fort because I had many years of fond memories there as a kid but I had forgotten just how magical it really is. As the others have written, you have a prime location but you are able to relax. It is not at all stressful unless you make it that way. We usually just hang around the pool, take walks, bike, play tether/basketball and see the movie in the evening. It really allows for family time while on vacation and I am surprised that more people do not camp. Our friends usually roll their eyes when I tell them how fantastic it is but we know that it really is the ultimate family vacation. My kids are really into camping now and when their friends ask what they are going to do for summer break, they usually reply with tent camping. You got some great deals on gear and just let it take you somewhere. Disney is a great place to start, but America has many fantastic campgrounds that do not cost very much. Pack the car and explore for a fraction of the price and really experience it.
 
I am with Teamubr on most of what he said except I am not "Cheap" rather I am "Frugal" :rolleyes1

We actually were going to stay at Art of Animation on the last trip we just finished. In the end, the AoA was going to be about $500 more to stay at then the Fort. Now unlike Teamubr, my MPG was not at 9, we were at 6.7 (UGH!) versus my DW's Van (which we would have taken if we went to the AoA) at about 20-25 MPG. So it would have been about a quarter of the gas. This probably would have put a "Wash" on the cost of the AoA, but the meals were a huge factor as well as the atmosphere.

Even the pools. Many of them "Look" nicer at the moderate or even the "Deluxe" resorts, but in the end, it's just a nicer looking pool. (maybe with a fancier looking slide).
 


My 2 cents so take it for what it is worth. By car we us a total of 70 to 75 gal. of gas for there, back (1950 miles round trip) and run around when using our car( A Prius that gets @ 42 mpg and uses Regular gas) is a better option than Disney transportation. Our coach takes nearly 3 tanks (Leave with Full and Fill once home avg. 8.5 to 9 mpg ) . Flying for wife and I is not an option as DW isn't getting on a plane unless heavily medicated. Add $55 per night (Discounted as they use larger cubicle and keep all 3 together as they nearly hurt themselves trying to be together the time they tried to separate them) to board the kids at the local Puppy Camp. This years trip will be more hanging out than touring as the Kids are still pups and full of Puppy Power so daily trips to the Bark Park will be the order of the day.
We have only stayed at 1 other resort at WDW. My DW loves her animals so a few years ago we did our 1st week at AKL. It is a lovely resort only the 2 Beds in our room took up so much of it we felt cramped. The Patio overlooking the Savannah below was a nice place to spend some time but so SMALL we had to climb over each other if we needed to go inside for any reason. Pool was nice but really only one of the places to hang out besides club level lounge or lobby.
At The FORT we have plenty of room to spread out and relax , either at our site or common areas. While we are ADVENTURING to Explore the Wilderness While out with the Girls we are limited to how far we want to go. IMHO fellow guests and CM's are the friendliest you will find at WDW.
For us added cost for our coach which when we can we try and use at least once a month during normal camping season (April x Nov) here in Del even if for no other reason than to get away for a few days makes a big plus. Being able to go and stay at the FORT for LONGER STAYS makes it a huge value.
.
 
I have researched the cost of staying at the fort vs staying at a moderate resort and the savings is substantial (IF) you already have an RV or trailer.... Tent camping, however intriguing to me is not something i could ever convince my wife to do. I have tent camped with the kids (Stone Mtn) but never the wife and never for an extended amount of time like a week. ONe of the most anticipated things for me after a long day at a park is to come back to our resort and simply LAY on the bed for an hour before heading to the pool. NOt sure i would get the same joy or relaxation from tent camping.. maybe but its a bit of a risk if you ask me..

So, until i do splurge on a new (at least to me) RV or trailer, i have contemplated staying at the cabins... those of you who have stayed in a cabin at the Fort or have researched know this is NOT cheaper than a moderate resort.. :( I did book a cabin trip once but things changed and we pushed that trip back and ended up at POR.. our go to place.. I am just now beginning my initial planning stage of booking our next Disney vacation in 2018 and am considering a cabin once again hoping that a stay at the Fort will open my wifes eyes to a new and improved Disney vacation spot.... then parlaying the good vibe into an intro for 'HEY, what do you think about buying an RV!"

Wish me luck!
 
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Hey, Fort Wilderness Folks! I just wanted to share our story and a little happiness I had today as I was buying a 13x13 shelter for $84 at a local Bargain store.

So, for the last two years, my husband has been unwell, part of that time on disability (which means a 40% income decrease), dealing with some post traumatic stress injuries and other ailments making it impossible for him to do his usual high stress IT work. About 9 months ago, I decided we needed to have some togetherness as a family that was fun and had nothing to do with the therapy and the doctors and illness. We are a really happy and close family of 7, but we are so tired from all these stressors! SO! I thought a Disney/Harry Potter vacation would be great! Until I started looking at how impossible it is to get SEVEN PEOPLE onto Disney property under $650/night. Insane!

My Disney planner friend and another friend with five kids mentioned THE FORT, and the rest is history. But I had almost no camping equipment (well, a stove, some tables, a tent for DH and me, some other stuff) or vacation gear at all. For so many years, before DH's healing, and with three family members with anxiety or autistic issues, vacation has been out of the question. Even short trips to see family have often ended early or been really difficult. Thank God, and some really good doctors, things are so much better. So I started, little by little, buying what we needed to camp at Fort Wilderness.

So far, we have bought everything either on Amazon or at our local overstock/returns Bargain Hunt. Or a couple things at Wal-Mart. It includes:
Two Coleman shelters and guylines
An Ozark Trail tent and stakes and guylines
A tarp and more stakes
4 sleeping bags
A queen cot and air mattress
6 camp chairs
7 Brita filter water bottles
5 sets Packing cubes
4 Fanny packs, a Spibelt, and 2 lanyards
2 hammocks

All told, so far, considering all costs, I've still spent $800 LESS than I would have spent on the cheapest possible resort on property. Plus, we can go anywhere we like and be comfortable now with all our fancy camping stuff :)

So excited to get in our big old conversion van and head to The Fort in November. Here's hoping our first family vacation will be a success!
I love Fort Wilderness & think you've got a good plan, but want to point out that it is completely possible to house 7 people for well under $650 per night at WDW. You can have two rooms at a moderate or value resort for less than $650 per night. Seven people would have no problem fitting into two rooms.
 
We will be a family of 6 when we return so our options are limited to squishing into POR or Caribbean, two rooms at a Value (like Pop) or a Suite...but I like to see how cheap I can get away with things and I enjoy having our own food.
$650 a night is a silly amount IMO for a bed and some AC.
You can also search for some of the people that rent trailers if you don't have one or want to tent camp/glamp.
 
$650 a night is a silly amount IMO for a bed and some AC.
That was my thought too. For the $650, that would cover HALF (and slightly more) of our stay at the Fort. (I think it was around $1000 for the week). So 2 days (and 2 rooms) at the Value pay for the Fort for the week. Another 2 days would probably pay for a descent rental trailer (we have our own) or it would most certainly cover the "Gas" cost to get your own trailer there.

Then the whole food savings issue is just gravy.

For what it's worth.

Trip-End-Stats.jpg
Here was our "Round Trip" stats (I reset it to Zero when we left). So almost 2.4K miles at 6.7 MPG. 358 Gallons of Gas @ an average of about $2/gallon is just over 1 more night (at the $650 rate).
 
I love Fort Wilderness & think you've got a good plan, but want to point out that it is completely possible to house 7 people for well under $650 per night at WDW. You can have two rooms at a moderate or value resort for less than $650 per night. Seven people would have no problem fitting into two rooms.
With guaranteed contiguous rooms? I am a newbie, under the impression that we could not all stay together for certain unless I sprang for the big suites.
 
I have researched the cost of staying at the fort vs staying at a moderate resort and the savings is substantial (IF) you already have an RV or trailer.... Tent camping, however intriguing to me is not something i could ever convince my wife to do. I have tent camped with the kids (Stone Mtn) but never the wife and never for an extended amount of time like a week. ONe of the most anticipated things for me after a long day at a park is to come back to our resort and simply LAY on the bed for an hour before heading to the pool. NOt sure i would get the same joy or relaxation from tent camping.. maybe but its a bit of a risk if you ask me..

So, until i do splurge on a new (at least to me) RV or trailer, i have contemplated staying at the cabins... those of you who have stayed in a cabin at the Fort or have researched know this is NOT cheaper than a moderate resort.. :( I did book a cabin trip once but things changed and we pushed that trip back and ended up at POR.. our go to place.. I am just now beginning my initial planning stage of booking our next Disney vacation in 2018 and am considering a cabin once again hoping that a stay at the Fort will open my wifes eyes to a new and improved Disney vacation spot.... then parlaying the good vibe into an intro for 'HEY, what do you think about buying an RV!"

Wish me luck!
Great Post, and Good Luck to you! We will definitely be buying an RV in the next 10 years. They are so cheap to buy used (like, from the 90s) and we are not fussed about decor or glamor. And DH loves to fix things, so well get a junky old Jayco on a Ford chassis and work on it together.
As for the cabins, because of our family makeup, even if my oldest son is not wanting to come with us making us a party of six, I still want to have vacation privacy, so sleeping in the same room as my little girls doesn't sound great to me! Nor does sleeping on a pull out bed. We will just have to keep on tent camping or Airbnb-ing it!
 
With guaranteed contiguous rooms? I am a newbie, under the impression that we could not all stay together for certain unless I sprang for the big suites.
A lot of people book connecting rooms. Whenever I do online check-in for a resort, it is one of the request options. It shouldn't be a problem, but I have never done it myself.
 
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Great Post, and Good Luck to you! We will definitely be buying an RV in the next 10 years. They are so cheap to buy used (like, from the 90s) and we are not fussed about decor or glamor. And DH loves to fix things, so well get a junky old Jayco on a Ford chassis and work on it together.
As for the cabins, because of our family makeup, even if my oldest son is not wanting to come with us making us a party of six, I still want to have vacation privacy, so sleeping in the same room as my little girls doesn't sound great to me! Nor does sleeping on a pull out bed. We will just have to keep on tent camping or Airbnb-ing it!

Cool.. there are some cheap 1990s RVs out there just be careful and get it checked out thoroughly!
Do you have multiple TENTS or one of those big fancy, multi-room tents. I would think privacy is a hard thing to achieve in a tent... heck, even the critters get a front row seat! ;)
 
Cool.. there are some cheap 1990s RVs out there just be careful and get it checked out thoroughly!
Do you have multiple TENTS or one of those big fancy, multi-room tents. I would think privacy is a hard thing to achieve in a tent... heck, even the critters get a front row seat! ;)
Oh yeah, DH and I have our own tent. The kids are in a large two room.
 
I think camping at the Fort sounds like it could be fun. However... we fly in since we are in Western Canada. I don't think we would be saving any money by camping... I would have to order the food in (which means getting one of these online shopping accounts like Amazon Prime), we could no longer fly just with carry-on and I don't even think most camping gear can be packed into suitcases in a way that won't destroy it. Not to mention STILL having to buy tanks/fuel/Sterno/whatever once we got to FL.

Ah well. I keep poking at the RV rental idea... if DH enjoys renting and visiting various places then he miiiiiiiiight be more open to the Fort. But he is definitely adamant that he gets to sleep in a real bed on vacation!
 
I think camping at the Fort sounds like it could be fun. However... we fly in since we are in Western Canada. I don't think we would be saving any money by camping... I would have to order the food in (which means getting one of these online shopping accounts like Amazon Prime), we could no longer fly just with carry-on and I don't even think most camping gear can be packed into suitcases in a way that won't destroy it. Not to mention STILL having to buy tanks/fuel/Sterno/whatever once we got to FL.

Ah well. I keep poking at the RV rental idea... if DH enjoys renting and visiting various places then he miiiiiiiiight be more open to the Fort. But he is definitely adamant that he gets to sleep in a real bed on vacation!
How do you define a "real bed"? Our TT has a queen bed. While it's not the Split King Sleep Number which elevates head and feet that we have at home, it's still fairly comfortable. My biggest complaint about sleeping in our RV is not the bed, rather the fact that the stabilizers don't fully stabilize the TT, so when DW gets up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I feel the movement more so. Even at home, she wakes me up going to the bathroom, I just feel it more in the TT.
 
How do you define a "real bed"?
Something in the orthopedic category. I can't see myself convincing my husband to ever spend money on an RV or trailer that needs hundreds of dollars of "interior design" when a hotel room is just as cheap when it comes to swiping a CC... LOL
 

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